Virginia “Ginny” R. Riedesel
FAIRMONT — Services for Virginia “Ginny” R. Riedesel, 99, of Fairmont, Minn., will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 8, at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Fairmont. A private family burial will be held at a later date at Pine Ridge Cemetery near Emily, Minn. Visitation will be one hour prior to the time of service from 10 to 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 8, at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Fairmont. Virginia passed away Monday, Sept. 1, 2025, at the Lakeview Methodist Health Care Center in Fairmont. Lakeview Funeral Home is assisting the family with the arrangements.
Virginia “Ginny” Riedesel was born on Sept. 25, 1925, in Topeka, Kansas, as Virginia Ruth Nelson, the second of four children to Ruth (Campbell Tomlinson) Nelson and Harold Nelson. They shared Scottish Presbyterian family generational roots, and Ginny grew up attending her grandfather, Reverend (Dr.) Nelson’s church in Topeka. Ginny’s siblings are Kenny (deceased, Topeka, Kansas), Harry (deceased, Livermore, Calif.), and Chuck (Santa Monica, Calif. and Muenster, Germany). She passed away peacefully in her sleep on September 1, 2025.
Ginny’s first husband (Daniel Coats, M.D.) passed away suddenly while in his medical residency with the U.S. Army Air Corp in 1950 in San Francisco, Calif. Subsequently, she and their two children (Cindy-Peachtree City Ga. and Brian-Salt Lake City, Utah) moved back to Topeka. In 1955 Ginny met a handsome man (Bill Riedesel) who worked as a mechanical engineer at the Fairmont Railway Motors and rode his motorcycle from Fairmont to Topeka to court Ginny. Ginny and Bill had two children (Thomas-White Bear Lake, Minn. and Charles-Lodi, Wis.). All four of Ginny’s kids graduated from Fairmont High School.
Ginny’s career was as a “homemaker” and community volunteer (Chubb House, Red Rock Center For The Arts, Opera House, etc.). She received the Book of Golden Deeds award from the Fairmont Exchange Club for her volunteer work in the community. She also took postsecondary training in bank work and was a bank teller when younger. Ginny loved to sing and was a faithful member of the First Congregational Church’s choir for many decades in Fairmont. She and Bill traveled extensively, especially after Bill’s retirement, with outings to Germany, Bali, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hawaii, etc. She also loved staying at their summer cabin “up north” near Outing, Minn. and specialized in loon call imitations.
She is survived by one sibling, four children, eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Her independent and loving spirit was a great gift to those who were lucky to know her.
“The love of the heart is the candle flame that carries us through the road of darkness.”
-St. John of the Cross www.lakeviewfuneralhome.net
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